May 27           Senior Make-up Exams

May 31           Graduation Rehearsal - All Seniors report to War Memorial at 10:30am

            Yearbook Distribution and Sales - 12:00 - Arts Building Ticket Booth

            Graduation Ticket Distribution - 12:00      Learning Community Offices

            Senior Class Day - 12:00-2:30pm - Joan Lorenz Park (in front of CRLS) - Lunch will be served.

June 1 Yearbook Distribution Continues - 8:30AM - Arts Bldg Ticket Booth

Senior Breakfast - 9:00 a.m. Main Cafeteria

Senior Surveys will be distributed

Graduation Rehearsal - All Seniors Required                                                   

                     10:30a.m. Gym  (caps & gowns will be distributed)

Athletic Awards 7:00-9:00P.M.

June 2 CRLS Graduation 6:00 p.m (Seniors will meet at 5:00 p.m in the War Memorial)

Graduation Rehearsals: 
There are two mandatory rehearsals for the commencement ceremony:                                                                                                     
Tuesday, May 31st promptly at 10:30 a.m. in the Gym
(tickets will be distributed)

Wednesday, June 2nd at 10:30 a.m. in the Gym    
(final report cards distributed from your LC office after practice)

Graduation Fee:

The Commencement or Senior Fee is $25, which covers the cap and gown and the Commencement photo, which is taken by a professional photographer of you and the Mayor as you receive your diploma/certificate. (Students can pay the $25 fee to the curriculum clerk in their learning community office beginning May 2nd with cash, check, or money order made payable to CRLS Senior Fee.  After May 21st only cash or money orders can be accepted.

Senior Debts & Final Plan Forms:

Seniors who owe debts, e.g. textbooks, library books, athletic uniforms & equipment, yearbook, commencement fees, cameras, etc., will not be allowed to participate in the commencement until they resolve all debts. Caps and gowns & commencement tickets will not be given to any senior with an outstanding senior debt or who has not turned in their "Senior Final Plans Form" to their guidance counselor. (Senior exams will not be given unless students turn in their books before the exam)

NHS Members:

If you wish to wear the NHS blue cowl at graduation, watch for a notice in homeroom regarding cowls for graduation.

Commencement Ceremony:  Students will meet promptly at 5:00pm in the Gym. The CRLS Commencement Ceremony is broadcast live on City TV 8 at 6:00pm; rebroadcast dates are listed on City TV 8.

Yearbooks

Students who haven't yet purchased their yearbook can still purchase yearbooks for $90 cash/check by seeing Mr. Ed Byrne in Room 3609 or online with debit/credit card at ybpay.com. Questions can be directed to Mr. Byrne at 617-349-6486 or ebyrne@cpsd

Meet and Greet Damon Smith, Interim Principal for 2011-12

Wednesday, May 25th at 7:30pm

Sponsored by  Friends of CRLS*

Presentation, Refeshments, Conversation, News from FOCRLS

Library, 9th Grade Campus (corner Antrim and Broadway)

* sponsors of the Unsung Heroes Program, Faculty Innovation Grants,

Student Travel Fellowships, First Scholars Scholarships, Faculty Distinction Awards

more info about FOCRLS at www.focrls.org

Friends of Cambridge Rindge and Latin School (FOCRLS) is a 501(c)3 tax-deductible non-profit public charity founded by two parents in January '07.  The mission of FOCRLS is to raise private funds from within the Cambridge community to support and enrich the academic and social development programs at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, and in so doing,  promote achievement for all students and a greater community investment in the future of Cambridge youth. 

To make a tax-deductible donation to FOCRLS, go to:

http://www.focrls.org/donate

For more information or to volunteer: check out our new website!!

www.focrls.org

(617) 275-6338

P.O. Box 39-1541

Cambridge, MA  02139

Mark your calendars!  

The film, Race to Nowhere, will be shown Wednesday, June 8, at 7 pm at the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, in the Fitzgerald Theater.  Filmmaker and mother, Vicki Abeles, aims her camera at high-stakes, high-pressure school culture and its impact on students.  The film asks families, educators, and the community to question our assumptions on how to best prepare our youth to become caring, engaged, and contributing adults. 

The showing will be followed by a short discussion.  Tickets may be purchased on the Race to Nowhere web site and at the door (unless sold out).  The film is co-sponsored by the CRLS Student Council and School Council.  More information below.

What is it? Race to Nowhere, a documentary inspired by a parent's desire to understand how schools were causing stress in kids, has been making the rounds in nearby communities.  The grassroots phenomenon has parents across the country talking about homework policies and promising to lower stress on their kids and has students thinking deeply about the meaning of education.  Many people in Cambridge saw the movie in other places, and the buzz led a few to organize a showing.   

Why this movie?  It's a thought-provoking movie that inspires parents, teachers, students and community members to ask questions about our education system.  The CRLS Student Council and SChool Council are co-sponsors.  In the words of one senior who saw it in another town  " I think parents and teachers NEED to see it."

When?  Wednesday, June 8   7 pm 

How much?   Tickets are $10/adult,  (plus small processing fee) if bought in advance and $15 at the door.  Every adult who buys a ticket can get  one free student ticket.  The film distribution company charges a license fee and requires admission -- but shares proceeds with a nonprofit.  For the CRLS showing, all proceeds beyond the licensing fee will go to Friends of CRLS.

Tickets?  Buy online at:   rtncrls.eventbrite.com

As part of the agreement, the filmmakers handle ticketing for all community screenings.

If the link doesn't work, go to the website www.racetonowhere.com  -- click on screenings and find the June 8 CRLS showing. 

Read what a CRLS teacher wrote after seeing the movie:

 I went into this screening without any prior knowledge of the film, nor an idea of "who" the film was targeting (cynically assuming a film like this had to target one group or another).

During the next eighty minutes I sat and watched -  at times, ashamed, saddened by what was being said and seen before me, reflecting on my role as an educator and parent; I was angered by some, empathized with most.  At the end of the screening three professors in the education department at Tufts answered questions and responded to comments for 25-30 minutes or so.  Many individuals, from the Medford, Boston, and Somerville public schools were present. A lot of undergraduate education students from Tufts were present, and used this time to comment on the film in light of their recent experiences in high school.  I sat back and listened, thinking to myself, yes, something needs to change....I feel passionately about this film, and believe that it is something the community should definitely see.

News from the National Honor Society - Cultural Exchange Opportunity

This past October, the NHS together with Carousel Tours hosted a student exchange group from a school in Germany.  The school in Germany would like to return in October 2011, so we are looking for families to participate in this cultural program that the entire family can enjoy.  Student hosts do not need to be current NHS members.  Any family, large or small, with high school aged children who can share their home and heart, provide meals and a bed (students can share a room) can participate.

Student guests are accompanied by teacher chaperones from their schools, attend school or go on local excursions on weekdays, spend the weekend with host families, and have their own spending money and insurance.

The school in Germany would like our host students to visit, so an exchange to Germany for our students is being planned for one of the second semester vacation weeks.

For more information and details about the program, please contact Mr. Mili at: pmili@cpsd.us, or Jane Scorza at: Jscorza@aol.com

Connect2Prevent Update! Sign up now to help the Connect2Prevent project and earn $25 each!

Connect2Prevent is partnering with the Cambridge Prevention Coalition and Cambridge Public Schools on a project to learn more about how parents and teens communicate about alcohol and other drugs. We are recruiting parent-teen pairs to participate in the project, which includes completion of a brief online survey that includes questions about how parents and teens communicate about the topic.  Parents and teens will each receive $25 for participation.

Thank you to all who have signed up for the Connect2Prevent survey. If you haven't yet had a chance, we invite you to join the many parent-teen pairs who have completed the survey..

If you registered but haven't heard from us, please remember that both the parent and the teen must register online before we can send out the survey links. When both of you have registered, Connect2Prevent will send you and your teen each an email with "Connect2Prevent Survey Link" in the subject line.

Registration for the Connect2Prevent project is easy. Just go to:

http://www.connect2prevent.org

For more information, contact Lucy Lorin at 617-401-2284 or lorin@ndri.org.